A former Rewa footballer has called on Pacific Cup organisers to honour their commitments and urgently release outstanding prize money, warning that continued delays risk embarrassing and undermining its credibility.
Mohammed Yusuf (Mama) spoke out after Rewa player Bruce Hughes vented his frustration on the Rewa Football Facebook page over the club’s unpaid share of the Pacific Cup championship prize money.
“Rewa football just blocked me from their page, truth hurts,” Hughes wrote.
“Stop using players like rentals but pay us properly too. Now you want this aye? You got what you wanted but can’t pay the boys who worked hard to give you four major tournaments and two finals.”
Yusuf said Rewa won the Pacific Cup in November, yet the promised prize money has still not been paid, raising serious concerns about the professionalism of those overseeing the competition.
“We live in modern times, there are many ways to pay prize money,” said Yusuf, one of Rewa’s standout footballers of the 1990s.
“At the very least, the FFA and NZFFI could e-transfer the funds. How hard is that? Players make real sacrifices, and now they’re being left high and dry.”
Yusuf said such delays undermine the credibility of the Pacific Cup and fail to respect the commitment of players and teams who invest time, and make personal sacrifices to compete.
He urged the relevant organisations to act swiftly to resolve the issue, restore confidence in the tournament, and prevent further damage to its reputation.
Rewa Football Association president Nazeel Buksh has denied Hughes’ claim that he was blocked from the association’s social media platform.
With Christmas just passed and the New Year approaching, concerns have also been raised about the impact of the delay on players and their families.
Yusuf said Rewa FA could have paid the players’ from its own coffers and recovered the funds later, avoiding the public fallout that followed Hughes’ post.
“Four tournament winners, and Fiji champions, you’re telling me they don’t have the money to pay out their players ahead of Christmas and New Year?,” Yusuf said.
“Unbelievable.”
